Thousands of Homes Remain Threatened from Northern California Wildfire

Fire officials say they are seeing progress in battling the Mosquito Creek wildfire in northern California, but thousands of homes remain threatened.

The fire, which started on September 6 outside east of Sacramento, near Mosquito Road and Oxbow river, currently covers 46,587 acres (73 square miles), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on Monday.

Ten percent of the Mosquito Creek fire has been contained, but more than 5,800 structures remain under threat in Placer and El Dorado counties. Approximately 11,200 people have been evacuated out of the communities of Forest Hill and Georgetown, the Associated Press(AP) reported.

Numerous homes have been destroyed by the fires, but officials have not released an estimated number as of yet, according to ABC 10.

Fire officials expect to be aided by favorable weather conditions as hot, dry, and windy weather are not expected “materialize” this week.

However, officials are concerned that dry vegetation – such as grass and big trees – may fuel and prolong the fire.

“[T]he fire wasn’t going anywhere fast (i.e. not wind driven), but where it was burning, it was really burning,” said Incident Commander Rick Young, who made his observations after a reconnaissance flight on Sunday.

The cause of the wildfire is still under investigation, ABC 10 reported.

“Electrical Activity” was reportedly occurring in the area as of Tuesday, per Pacific Gas & Electric.

A pacific hurricane from last week, which brought in cooler temperatures, helped crews in their efforts to battle fires across the state, the AP noted. The change in weather also aided the state’s electrical grid system.

However, unstable air quality and thunderstorms have caused flash floods and landslides in Southern California.

Along with the wildfires in the golden state, Oregon and Washington are also experiencing forest fires too.

The combined fires in all three states have blanketed some areas in the western U.S. with smoke in the air over the weekend. While the wind is pushing some of the smoke out of coastal Oregon and Washington, it is expected to thicken in the middle part of those states and in Idaho and Montana.

Smoke is also expected to thicken near Reno and Carson City, Nevada, which is in close proximity to the Mosquito Creek fire.

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